Letter: Breaking down stigma, shame and stereotypes of mental illness in U.S.

Recently, CareLink Community Support Services requested a conditional use permit to operate offices and services related to mental health care in Havertown. The application was approved after it was amended. It was amended to accommodate prejudice and discrimination.

As reported by the Delaware County Daily Times in early August, the original application included outpatient services for people with various mental health conditions, including serious mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

However, according to a subsequent article in the Delaware County Daily Times, CareLink withdrew all provisions involving outpatient services after local residents expressed their opposition.

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A member of the Llanerch Civic Association said that he had concerns that services would be provided in a residential area near a park and he felt that it was not "an appropriate venue for the services they're planning on providing." The implication he seems to be making is that people with mental illness are dangerous or unseemly, and do not belong in a neighborhood of families. That is a stereotype.

What is very apparent in these articles is that some members of the community do not want individuals with mental illness receiving care in their neighborhood. That is prejudice. What is also clear is that because of this prejudice, nobody with a mental illness will receive psychiatric services at this facility as was originally planned. That is discrimination.

According to peer-reviewed research, stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination are the components of stigma, and stigma leads many people with diagnosable mental illnesses to avoid treatment. This is a case study in stigma. Think about it. If you lived in Havertown, would you feel comfortable seeking treatment and taking the chance that your neighbors could find out?

Some of them clearly would not want you receiving treatment in their neighborhood, so what are the odds that they would want you living there? Also, if you lived in Havertown, would you be comfortable with the reality that a small but vocal civic association pursued an agenda of discrimination in the name of the entire community? Are their beliefs and attitudes representative of yours?

The Llanerch Civic Association's attempt to prevent people with mental illness from entering their community is probably for naught. The reason being is that there already are people with mental health conditions living in Havertown, some with serious mental illnesses.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, roughly a quarter of the U.S. adult population has a diagnosable mental illness. That means that currently there are thousands of people with mental health conditions living in Havertown. If the Llanerch Civic Association wants to live in a community "safe" from those with mental illness, they will have to start a new one that screens for mental illness because every community in America is home to people affected by mental health conditions.

The concept of stigma and mental illness has gained more prominence recently. President Barack Obama, speaking at the National Conference on Mental Health in June, said "And there should be no shame in discussing or seeking help for treatable illnesses that affect too many people that we love. We've got to get rid of that embarrassment. We've got to get rid of that stigma."

The president is absolutely right. We must reduce the shame and embarrassment associated with seeking mental health care. However, before that can occur, we must first address prejudice and discrimination.